Saturday, February 7, 2015

Mimi's Adventures in
Baking is a new children's book series by chef-turned-author, Alyssa Gangeri. Find
out all about her inspiration for creating this series in the "About the
Author" section below. The first book in the series, Mimi's Adventures in Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies, will be released 3
March 2015 but is now available for pre-order.

Mimi's Adventures in
Baking is the first storybook cookbook that creates a fun and interactive way
of learning how to bake. Follow Mimi as she learns to measure, mix and bake her
way to her very first batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Learning how to
bake can be easy and fun with Mimi!

Navigating your way through a kitchen full of tools, ingredients and of
course safety measures are brought to life in this storybook cookbook. No more
flipping through endless recipes and boring procedures. Mimi makes baking fun
for the whole family. Let your child take control and become the chef they
always wanted to be!

"Overall, I really enjoyed this children's cookbook. It's very
unique and a creative way to help teach baking skills. I recommend this to
families who are looking for an engaging cookbook for their young ones." ~
Laura

"I loved this book from beginning to end. Adorable illustrations,
baking, learning, and the love of family blend together in this book that will
be read time and again. I can't wait to check out Mimi's future
adventures." ~ Cheryl C.

Mimi dreams of clouds of flour and mountains of chocolate chips and, when
she wakes up, all she wants to do is bake chocolate chip cookies. But she's
never done it before, so she asks for Nonni's help. Nonni finds the recipe and
teaches Mimi how to collect all the necessary ingredients and materials before
starting. Then Nonni shows Mimi how to measure each ingredient. She also
answers all of Mimi's questions, including why we add salt to a sweet recipe. And finally, they get to bake!

This is a cute and funny book, and the illustrations by Chiara Civati are delightful. The text
clearly explains all the basic steps for your young baker. There are safety
instructions, tips on getting ready, explanations as to why certain things are
done, and - best of all! - a delicious recipe, plus variations. I read this
book with my daughter, and then we baked the chocolate chip cookies. She was
quoting the book back to me as we cooked (e.g. the brown sugar "making a
sand castle", placing the cookies "four fingers apart", and
being on "cookie guard" duty). Let me tell you, the cookies were
delicious! Our verdict: "Best cookies ever!"

I love the relationship
between Mimi and her Nonni (her grandmother) and the fact that they set the
table for the whole family to share milk and the cookies they bake. My only concern is that the oven temperature is described as 325°, without
specifying whether it's Fahrenheit or Celsius. While it would be okay to just
use F in the story, both temperatures should be provided in the recipe at the
end. By the way, 325°F is equivalent to 160°C.

I look forward to Mimi's next baking adventure. Happy baking!

These are the actual cookies we baked!

About the Author

Chef Alyssa has been baking since she was a little girl in her
grandmother's kitchen. Since graduating from the Culinary Institute of America
she has worked for famous chefs and elite companies such as the Ritz Carlton,
Tom Colicchio, Norman Van Aken and Gray Kunz. She currently is the Executive
Chef at Riverwalk Bar and Grill on the Historic nook of New York City,
Roosevelt Island. She also has a boutique custom cake company called AllyCakesNYC where she creates cakes to appease the imagination. Through her journey
of baking she developed Mimi, her very own miniature version of herself.

As a child she loved baking and everything that came with it. As an adult
and food lover she realized there was something missing when she frequented
bookstores: an interactive children's cookbook. And we are not talking about a
boring old cookbook for kids with lots and lots of recipes, and some pictures.
Children these days have just as much interest in the kitchen as their parents
do, but the ordinary cookbook is just not going to cut it. She created Mimi's Adventures in Baking to give
children and adults a way to get into the kitchen and allow the child to become
the chef and the adult to become the assistant. Each book has one recipe and an
interactive storyline the child can read, and at the end they can go into the
kitchen and do what Mimi did! And for the "non-baking" parent, these
elite pastry chef recipes are tested and ready for even the most inexperienced
baker! Impress other moms with Mimi's creations!

Mimi's Adventures in
Baking will also teach children how to measure, mix, and bake their way through
the kitchen, while also giving safety tips along the way. No more boring
cookbooks! Now there is a fun, exciting, and educational way to learn how to
bake!

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